Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“You shouldn’t be out here like this,” Gus said.
“I’m wearing a blanket.”
“It will only offer so much protection.”
She tried to hide her shiver. At this moment, she didn’t want to talk about anything.
“You and Mom are not doing a lot lately, why?”
“It’s cold. Your mother wants to stay home with you.”
“I can go back home,” she said.
“No, it’s fine. It’s good to have you in the house, and your mother is looking forward to having Thanksgiving with you here. You know she loves to cook a turkey, and she always gets a large one. The last few years we’ve ended up at the clubhouse to celebrate. This time, we can have a small family affair,” he said.
“It sounds nice.”
The bruise had come out of her eye completely, and it did look a mess, as did her split lip. Her nose, not broken, was red and swollen. She also went back to the sexual health clinic, which was so embarrassing as her father escorted her, and he wouldn’t accept anything less. She wanted to get tested, just in case Venom had lied to her. Everyone seemed to lie to her.
“Why are men pigs?” Morwenna asked. “Why can’t they just tell the truth and keep it in their pants? Why is it so hard?”
Her father sighed and took the seat beside her. “You know, some men are not what they seem.”
She laughed. “I’ve thought that and on more than one occasion, I’ve been so wrong.” She felt close to tears. “I can’t stand this.”
“Are you crying for Bolt?” he asked. “Or Venom?”
Morwenna turned to look at him, and she couldn’t help it, her face crumbled. It was more than she could stand.
“I was so wrong.”
“You weren’t wrong, honey.” He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I pick the bad ones. I’m swearing off men for life. That will be easier and my heart will not be broken because I will not give them anything to ... hurt.” She whimpered.
“You know, it’s going to be okay,” Gus said. “You’re going to get through this.”
“I need that divorce. I want to move on,” she said. She finished her coffee, which was so cold, even though she hadn’t made it that long ago. She got to her feet and turned toward her father. “I’m going to the clubhouse.”
“No,” Gus said. “There’s no point in you going to the clubhouse. Bolt’s not going to listen to you, and right now, I think you should just start thinking about yourself. That is all you can do. You’re not going to achieve anything. Bolt’s stubborn.”
She sighed and blew out a breath. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.” She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, pumpkin.”
She made her way inside and went straight to her room, where she pulled out her laptop and started to look at houses for sale or rent, far away from Dwellers Point. She loved this town, but it came with too much baggage. She needed a fresh start, away from it all.
For a second, she hesitated. Moving away would be the final straw, but the thought of bumping into Venom again hurt too much. The only thing she could do was leave.
****
Bolt hated lockdowns. Men and women locked up in a clubhouse, with nowhere to go and nothing to do. It was not fun, especially as people continued to tell horror stories of the Karamazov. It was amazing how up until this moment, no one ever said a word about them, and now, it was horror story this, horror story that. It was laughable.
He wasn’t in the best of moods as he watched Kyle, his son, on the swing. It was cold as fuck, but his son was irritating the other club brothers. Star was nowhere to be seen. She was a waste of space as a mother.
“Higher, Daddy, higher.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell his son not to call him that, but what was the fucking point? Morwenna knew. Speaking of Morwenna, his little girl was on the slide, and she kept giggling as she climbed up and slid down. She, of course, never just sat down and slid on her ass. Nope, it was always on her stomach, backward. Each time she did so, she’d get to the bottom, clap her hands, and start all over again.
As he watched his daughter, he couldn’t help but drift back to him and Morwenna, when they were kids.
“Casey, you’re doing it wrong. You don’t go down on your knees!” Morwenna climbed up the steps and smiled at him, looking back. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
She climbed up, sat down, and held her hands in the air, whooshing down the slide. “Lame.” He moved so that he was on his stomach, and his face would be landing in the dirt. “This is the way to do it.